BUS DRIVER IN COURT

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 8

BUS DRIVER IN COURT

Intoxication Charge

REMAND ON BAIL TILL NOVEMBER

(Before Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M.) Adam Prentice was charged at the Otautau Magistrate’s Court yesterday with being intoxicated in charge of a car. and also with a breach of a prohibition order. Mr Hodges appeared for defendant, who pleaded guilty to both charges. Constable J. White said that last Saturday the defendant, who was the driver of a school bus, conveyed a party of boys from Fairfax to a tournament at Otautau. He secured a bottle of brandy and on the return journey stopped in the main street.. Witness could not say he had had a considerable quantity of liquor but he was not fit to have charge of a car. The case was not as bad as many others which had come before the Court. No complaints had previously been received about the conduct of defendant while in charge of the school bus. Counsel said the defendant was a returned soldier who had been gassed at the war. He had a store at Fairfax, which he and his wife controlled, and he also had a contract for the conveyance of children to Apart from every other consideration the use of the van was a necessity in his business. Defendant had been prohibited for two years and the current order expired on October 5, and this was the first occasion during that period that a complaint had been lodged. The constable had admitted that the case was not as serious as many others, and he asked the Magistrate to deal as leniently as he could with the defendant.

The Magistrate said he did not think that he had allowed offenders to retain their licences in any one case previously, and where he thought it was for the benefit of the community he had no hesitation in doing so. What was concerning him was the fact that defendant had been gassed and if he took away his licence defendant might not be able to do other work. It was only on account of the peculiar circumstances that he yielded in this case. He would reserve judgment and remand defendant till the November sitting of the Court.

Bail was renewed in the defendant’s own recognizance of £3O.